A supervillain, supervillainess or supercriminal is a variant of the villainous stock character who possesses superpowers. The character type is sometimes found in comic books and is often the primary adversary of a superhero in the same story.
A supervillain, supervillainess or supercriminal is a variant of the villainous stock character who possesses superpowers. The character type is sometimes found in comic books and is often the primary adversary of a superhero in the same story.
Superhero fiction is a subgenre of speculative fiction showcasing the adventures of costumed crime-fighters known as superheroes, who often possess superhuman powers and battle similarly powered criminals known as supervillains. The genre primarily falls between hard fantasy and soft science fiction in the spectrum of scientific realism, often merging into science fantasy. It is most commonly associated with comic books, though it has expanded into other media through adaptations and original works.
The Green Goblin is the alias of several supervillains appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Stan Lee and artist Steve Ditko, the first and best-known incarnation of the Green Goblin is Norman Osborn, who has endured as the archenemy of the superhero Spider-Man. Originally a manifestation of chemically induced insanity, others would later take on the persona, including Norman's son Harry Osborn. The Green Goblin is depicted as a criminal mastermind who uses an arsenal of Halloween-themed equipment, including grenade-like Pumpkin Bombs, razor-sharp bat-shaped blades, and a flying Goblin Glider, to terrorize New York City.
Comics journalist and historian Mike Conroy writes of the character: "Of all the costumed villains who've plagued Spider-Man over the years, the most flat-out unhinged and terrifying of them all is the Green Goblin." The Green Goblin has appeared in numerous media adaptations of Spider-Man over the years, including films, animated television series, and video games. Norman and Harry Osborn were portrayed by Willem Dafoe and James Franco in Sam Raimi's Spider-Man film trilogy (2002–2007), and by Chris Cooper and Dane DeHaan in the film The Amazing Spider-Man 2 (2014). Dafoe reprised his role as Norman Osborn in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) film Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021) which used the concept of the multiverse to link the Raimi trilogy to the MCU.